Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Nepal Flood Death Toll Could Reach 10,000, Minister Says
Severe flash floods hit parts of Nepal in August.
Officials had counted 1,411 deaths by Saturday.
They also said 5,875 people were missing.
Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle warned that the final number of deaths could rise to 10,000.
That would be similar to the number of people killed in Nepal’s 2015 earthquake.
The victims and missing people include pilgrims, tourists, traders and small business owners.
Wagle spoke about the disaster during a seminar in New Delhi.
Rescue and recovery information is still being compiled.
Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said the final toll from the August flash floods could reach 10,000 deaths.
Nepal’s disaster management authority reported 1,411 deaths and 5,875 missing people as of Saturday.
Wagle compared the expected human toll with Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, which killed about 10,000 people.
Those dead or missing include pilgrims, tourists, traders and small business owners, Wagle said.
Wagle made the remarks at a Research and Information System for Developing Countries seminar in New Delhi.
- Who
- Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Nepal’s disaster management authority.
- What
- The death toll from Nepal’s August flash floods may eventually reach 10,000; the reported toll was 1,411, with 5,875 people missing.
- When
- Wagle made the statement on Saturday, following the August flash floods.
- Where
- Nepal; Wagle spoke at a seminar in New Delhi, India.
- Why
- The floods caused widespread deaths and disappearances, including among pilgrims, tourists, traders and small business owners.
- Projected death toll
- Up to 10,000
- Reported deaths
- 1,411 as of Saturday
- Reported missing
- 5,875 as of Saturday
- Disaster
- August flash floods
- Affected rivers
- Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers
- Comparison
- The projected toll is comparable to Nepal’s 2015 earthquake toll
- Speaker
- Swarnim Wagle, Nepal’s Finance Minister